The convening of two recently held capacity-building activities in countering-terrorism marked the beginning of practical cooperation in ASEAN and Russia’s efforts against terrorism and transnational crime. As terrorism remains a threat to international security, both activities provided an important platform for officers from ASEAN Member States and the Russian Federation to exchange knowledge on current trends in terrorism, and future counter-measures.
The “Training Course on Counter-Terrorism for the Special Service Officers of ASEAN Member States” was conducted in Moscow from 19 to 30 November 2012. The Course, organised by the Federal Security Service (FSB) of the Russian Federation, bore the theme “National Security Services’ Counter-Terrorism Activities”. It focused on everything from administrative to practical experiences of the Russian Federation in countering terrorism which was conducted through lectures and discussions. The course also included a visit to the FSB’s elite Special Operations Force Headquarters.
Organized by the Ministry of Interior of the Russian Federation in Moscow from 19-29 October 2012, the “Workshop on Counter-Extremism for ASEAN Representatives” was aimed at capacity building and sharing experiences in counter-extremism activities among the national law enforcement agencies of ASEAN Member States and Russia. The Workshop also included a specialized topic on prevention of financing of terrorism, which was sponsored by Rosfinmonitoring - the Federal Financial Monitoring Service of the Russian Federation.
Participants of the activities suggested that future practical cooperation could be focused on seminars, workshops, multilateral collaborative projects and the consideration to establish an ASEAN-Russia specialised training center on counter-terrorism and transnational crime.